Ryan Hall Says He's in Best Shape Ever

Nov 1, 2009

By Amby Burfoot
Photo by Jeff Dengate

At Thursday morning's New York City Marathon press conference, American star Ryan Hall strongly implied that he's in the best shape of his life. He also said that if the pace lagged Sunday morning, he would keep it honest: "I trained hard to race 26.2 miles, and I don't want it to be a jog." Here's a more complete transcript of Hall's key responses to questions from a gaggle of reporters.How's your confidence for Sunday's race?Ryan Hall: I'm feeling very good. My last race, the half marathon in Philly, did a lot to build my confidence. My marathon training is built on a foundation of strong tempo runs and long runs, and I've done some pretty special tempo runs lately. I'm not going to tell you about them until after the marathon.You're known as an aggressive racer, but that doesn't always work well in the marathon. What's your thinking about an aggressive strategy?RH: There's a time and a place to go hard, and the trick is to learn when. I definitely learned a lot at Boston last spring. You've got to go with what your body is telling you, and not force it too much. At Boston I was thinking too much about time, my splits. But now I don't think it was a good idea to go as hard as I did as early as I did in Boston.Now I'm here in New York, and I'm not thinking about time or course records, or anything like that. I want this to be more of a true marathon race--a race over the full 26.2 miles. I've trained to run a good marathon, and it behooves me to have a good strong beginning. But I'm not looking for any sub 4:40 miles or anything like that even though I'm in a whole different world of shape than I was in Beijing, where the guys just ran away from me. I don't think anyone could do that to me here, but I want to run my own best race. I'm trying to think more like Catherine Ndereba. At a clinic we did, I heard her say, "I always run my own race," and that's what I want to do.How do you feel about the pressure on you to be an American winner?RH: I don't feel any pressure. There were six of us up here this morning, and I think any of us could win [Others sharing the stage with Hall: Abdi Abdirahim, Meb Keflezighi, Brian Sell, Jorge Torres, Jason Lehmkuhle.] For me, I just think it's a matter of time until I have the great race I want. It could be this year, it could be next year, it could be in 10 years. If it's not this year, I know I'll be back.Can you tell us some more about your fitness?RH: Just that I've done some stuff in training that I did not think would ever be possible. I've got a real good feeling about this last month. We'll see how it plays out on Sunday, though I can't imagine why it wouldn't be good. Even if it isn't on Sunday, I feel that I'm in new territory--that I've reached a new level--and that it's going to be a big help to me next spring or next fall in my marathons.When do you know, when you're racing a marathon, that you're going to have a good day?RH: Sometimes you don't know until quite late. In my 2:06 at London, we were out really fast, and I was out of my comfort zone. But then I felt stronger later, and had a really good race. You know, every marathoner has some places where things get tough, and you just have to nurse yourself through those miles.The marathon is so much a mental challenge. I think the longer the distance you're running, the bigger the mental aspect. I prepare by reading the Bible and praying. Sometimes in races, a Bible verse will just pop into my head. At the Philly Half, I wasn't feeling very good at the 11-mile mark, but I feel like God sent me a verse: "As a man thinks in his heart, so he is." That changed my whole thought process. It helped me a lot to be strong at the end of the race, to put my head down and close strong. I don't think I've ever won a race at the end like that. And it gives me more confidence here. With the field racing here Sunday, the race could come down to a sprint at the end. I hope it doesn't. I'd like to get away a mile or two out, but you never know.The easiest feeling marathon I ever ran was the Trials in Central Park. I took off when I saw Khalid coming up on us, and then I started looking at my watch and seeing the splits that were sub 4:40. And they came really easy. I knew then that I was on.You're an emotional runner, you respond to crowds. Has Terrence or anyone warned you about the energy on First Ave. and the temptation to run too hard there?RH: Oh, yeah, Terrence and Meb have told me that you come off the bridge and around the corner, and the crowds on First Ave. are going crazy, and you have to be careful not to get carried away. I'm going to rely on Meb, who's been out there a lot of times, and guys like Dos Santos, who obviously knows how to win this race. When you're a first timer like me, you gotta follow the wisdom of those who have done it before.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Runner's World participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.